Words that start with “Sun”

by SHERALYN ROMAN

While important topics like aggregate policy, zoning and land use designations, and illegal trucking yards continue to dominate the news cycle, sometimes it benefits us all to remember the things that are good about Caledon. These reminders are helpful, if for no other reason than to be sure we enjoy them before they are paved over, plowed under or blasted away! Summer is an excellent time to be a resident of Caledon and for a list of reasons why, consider these words that start with “sun.”

There are an infinite number of places in Caledon to enjoy a sunrise or a sunset. Sunrise holds the promise of a beautiful day ahead and sunset, the opportunity to reflect on your day. Take in either sun-drenched event in Alton by climbing the Pinnacle for a great view and while in town, stop for coffee, visit the Mill or stay for dinner.

It goes without saying the Forks of the Credit Provincial Park is a beautiful place to be anytime of the day, but time your visit just right and watch a stunning sunset as an added bonus. Camping at Albion Hills Conservation Area is an excellent way to wake up with the sunrise and it's close enough for families who want to try camping before investing big bucks in all the equipment one needs to “rough it” outdoors. Just between you and I, why some people haul everything they own out of a perfectly good kitchen at home just to be able to cook outside over an open flame is beyond me. As for watching a sunset from the great outdoors? Nothing beats it, but sleeping on the ground with only a little piece of flimsy fabric between me and the environment is a hard “No!” Anyway, back to beautiful Caledon. Underrated in my opinion, consider a stop at Ken Whillans Resource Management Area where you can kayak and paddleboard amongst the lily pads, picnic on the shoreline and fish from a variety of locations. All the waterfront trails are marked “easy,” you can rent equipment, buy bait and as an added bonus you can even hop onto nearby Caledon Trailway for a hike! Open until 9 pm, plan your visit right and you'll be sure to see the sunset.  

Sunflowers. That's it – that's the word, the definitive “word that starts with sun.” Caledon has two spectacular locations to view sunflowers, both well-known to Caledon residents, and thanks to bloggers and social media postings on Insta, they are becoming increasingly well-known beyond our borders, too. Consider Davis Family Farm for an idyllic stroll through their one kilometre “Field of Dreams,” full of beautiful sunflowers but plan to do it soon! According to schedules posted online, optimal sunflower festival viewing times end this weekend. There are plenty of places to stop and take a picture while there so go make some memories! The Davis Farm family have been a fixture in Caledon for generations and while this is the only time of year we can include the word “sun” in their farm description – you can absolutely visit them in the springtime for all your garden flower needs and again in the fall for pumpkins, mums, and so much more. 

Also in Caledon, at our southern border, is Campbell's Cross Farm featuring 700,000 sunflowers. That's a lot of these fabulous flowers and in addition to strolling through the grounds, they offer plenty of sunflower-related activities including, on theme, sunrise and sunset yoga! They'll be open until the end of August and maybe this is the year I'll finally get to try their famous watermelon sandwich. Friends tell me it's delicious and it's certainly in keeping with our theme of words that start with “sun.” How you might ask? Because watermelon tastes best in summer! It's like eating a little piece of sunshine.

How about the phrase, often applied to others, although rarely to me, “they have a sunny disposition?” Does this qualify as a word that starts with sun? In my books it does but what the heck does having a sunny disposition have to do with Caledon? You might think this a bit of a stretch, but I think it's a great way to acknowledge all the people in our community who DO have a sunny disposition and who show it by doing great things. I'm talking about your neighbourhood volunteers who put together hyper-local special events in the summertime like movies in the local park, the Valleywood Block Party, a recent community fair and celebration in Southfields and all those folks who volunteered to help bring Bolton's Midnight Madness to fruition. We should also acknowledge and be grateful for all those who volunteer for a wide variety of causes near and dear to their hearts; whether that's by staging a golf fundraiser, a ride, walk or run, or any number of other special events that take place throughout the summer, where the sole purpose is to support a charitable endeavour. Between volunteers and those that work at our non-profit agencies throughout Caledon, we are blessed with an abundance of people with sunny dispositions! 

Perhaps it's self-evident that I wrote this column on a sunny day. The beauty of the summer sun means for some lucky few of us, we can take our “workplace” outdoors and make the most of the days that the sun shines in Caledon. It makes it hard, even for the occasional persnickety columnist like me, to focus on what's wrong with our town. Nothing has changed recently, and I still have concerns, but when the sun is shining isn't it much nicer to picture sunflowers, swimming and soccer-playing six-year-olds instead of streams of social media rants, spats and squabbles? I think so.

On that note, I offer one last comment that doesn't actually include the word “sun,” but does include the word “Sonny.” If you are of a certain age, perhaps you'll appreciate the humour. It's based on a recent – and very true – story: Someone I love was buying their first car from an actual dealership and had been dealing with a salesperson named Sonny. When later I accompanied them to assist with negotiations, without a trace of irony, they introduced me as follows: “Sonny, this is Sher….” and before she could even complete the sentence I burst out in full-on belly laughter! Neither she nor the salesperson, both considerably younger than me, knew why. Boy did I feel old! If you know why I was laughing so hard –  then you're at least as old as I am although I hasten to mention I was just a “babe,” when that show was on the air. Did you see what I did there? Have a sunny weekend Caledon.